Reflection on Luke 10:38–42 :A Real-Life Story and the Spiritual Wound of Distraction (1-7-25)
Praise be to Jesus Christ
A young woman once shared something painfully honest. She said, “I used to sit with my grandmother in the evenings. But after I got a smartphone, I would still sit near her, but my mind was somewhere else. One day, I looked up and saw her eyes quietly waiting for me to talk. I felt I was sitting there but not with her.”
This is the problem of distraction, being present, yet absent.
In today’s Gospel, Martha welcomes Jesus into her home, but her heart is not at rest. Luke writes, “Martha was distracted with much serving.” That word distracted, is not just about being busy. In the original Greek, it means “to be pulled away.” Pulled away from what? From Jesus who had come to be with her. Distraction is not just a practical problem, but it’s a spiritual wound. It separates us from God and the people we love. It makes us restless, anxious, and even irritated. It is very evident in the saying of Martha, “Lord, don’t You care?”
In the Old Testament, when God appeared to Elijah, there was wind, fire, earthquake, but the Lord was not in them. He came in a gentle whisper. Distraction keeps us from hearing that whisper. It makes us miss the presence of God who comes quietly, lovingly, patiently, like Jesus came to Martha’s house.
Saint Teresa of Avila once said, “Much harm is done to the soul by distractions. We must not grow used to them.” She knew what it meant to battle distractions even in the convent. She would often say to her sisters, “When you speak to God, do not let your thoughts wander. He has come a long way to meet you.”
In our homes, how many times are we present but distracted? We eat together, but each one is on a screen. We go to church, but our thoughts are still at work or on a message we saw. Even while praying, our lips move but the heart is far away.
Mary chose differently. She sat close and listened. Not because she had nothing else to do. But because she knew what mattered. She had learned the art of attention, the art of giving her full self to Jesus.
Distraction is not defeated by doing more, but it is healed by loving more. It is to look into someone’s eyes and listen. It is to pray without rushing, to read the Bible not to finish it, but to let it read us. That is how we choose “the better part.”
Lord, help me to be attracted to You that I may not be distracted
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God Bless…
